Monday, September 30, 2019

Serial Killer “Richard Chase”

As a young boy he didn't show any odd behavior until he turned the age of ten. At the age, often in 1960 he started killing and torturing animals including cats. Then by some years passed it was 1964 an he started attending Mira Lama High School, obtained grades of Co's, Ad's, and If's, but still managed to complete high school an get his diploma. While he was in school his sophomore year he was arrested for possession of marijuana ordered by Juvenile court work on weekends, and as his time as an teenager he became a very Intense drug user and regularly exhibited symptoms of delusional thinking.January 5, 1978 Chase started his life of legal problems from small crime of stealing a four- mouth old puppy, shooting it in the head and proceeded to drink the blood or to his random violent acts like on the date January 11, 1978. On the 1 lath of January 1978 chase attacked a neighbor after he asked for a cigarette then restrained her units she turned over the entire pack. 2 weeks later, he broke into a house, robbed it then urinated inside a drawer containing infant clothing and defecated on the bed in a child's room. Interrupted by the owners return, chase was attacked but managed to escape.An chase continued to search for unlocked doors of homes to enter. He believed a locked door was a sign that he was not wanted, however an unlocked door was as Invitation to enter. Social problems Richard Chase had many of them; suffering mental disorders which made It had for him In his social life. Richard Chase himself managed to maintain a small social life, however his relationships with women would not last long. This was because of his bizarre behavior and because he was impotent. An event that happened would prove his mind state when he moves out his mother house thinking she was trying to poison him.He had rented an apartment with some friends. Chaise's roommates' complained that he was constantly intoxicated alcohol, marijuana, and LSI. Chase would also walk around the apartment nude, even in front of company. Chaise's roommates demanded that he move out. When he refused, the roommates moved out instead. Education and Jobs, all though Richard Chase never had a Job, his education was on the side of a little below average with an IQ of 95. During, the spring of 1968 he enrolled In American River College, maintained grades of Co's, consistently used drugs, and briefly seen a psychiatrist.Physical problems he suffered from constant paranoid episodes and would often end up at the hospital emergency room in search for help. He was psychiatric observation, but shrinking, Chase felt he had found the cure. He would kill and disembowel small animals and eat the various parts of the animals raw. 1975, Chase suffering from blood poisoning after injecting of rabbit blood into his veins, was involuntary hospitalized with schizophrenic. An his sexual was not very well written out cause his relationships never lasted long because of his bizarre behavior, and the fact that he was impotent.He was killed with a direct gunshot wound to his head. Evelyn and Jason were found in Evelyn bedroom. Jason had been shot twice in the head. The depth of Chaise's insanity was clear when investigators went over the crime scene. Evelyn corpse had been raped and solemnizes multiple times. Her stomach had been cut open and various organs were removed. Her throat was cut and she had been customized with a knife and there was a failed attempt to remove one of her eyeballs. Then, Richard Trenton Chase was captured by police after leaving several hand and shoe prints in blood at is last victims' residence.They found even more blood caked evidence in his apartment. In 1979 Chase stood trial on six counts of murder, his attorneys tried to avoid the death penalty by going the insanity route†¦ The plea was rejected. On May 8th, the Jury found Chase guilty on all six counts and he was sentenced to the gas chamber. While in prison, Chase had been seeing a doctor wh o had prescribed him with antidepressants that he hoarded for weeks. He was found dead on December 26, 1980 of an apparent overdose-suicide, taking all the pills he had been saving.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Adolescence and Teenage Pregnancy

Here in the Philippines, we believe in the saying of our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal that â€Å"Youth is the hope of our Mother land†. In their hand lies the future generation to follow. But as we see from the situation nowadays, what were expecting from the youth is the contrary if the saying. Teenagers are prone to pregnancy. Almost every year there is a rapid increase on the number of pregnant youths.One of the major causes of this problem are that most of the youths nowadays grew up in broken homes. Parents either the father or mother of the youths chose to leave their children behind because of the fact that they cannot handle anymore their obligation as parents. In relation to this problem, our government is now working on the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) as one of the most effective solution not only to teenage pregnancy but also to the increasing population of our country.Statement of the ProblemThis study answers the following questions:1. At what age did yo u become sexually active? 2. What is your current situation with pregnancy? 3. Was the pregnancy planned? 4. Did you ever think of aborting the baby? 5. How would you rate the following from its substantiality: condoms, pills, morning-after pill, other conceptive methods, STIS and STDS? 6. Do you know the whereabouts of your local family planning clinic? Did you know this before you got pregnant? 7. Do you know of anywhere in your local area where free condoms are available to younger couples? 8. As a teen aged mother, how do you plan to support your child’s financial needs? 9. Are you or your partner currently working? If yes, where do you see yourself in terms of occupation? 10. Can you manage financially, physically, emotionally and mentally your current situation? 11. Do you still continue to pursue your education? 12. Do the people around you respect your current situation at such young age?Significance of the StudyThis study is significance for the following reasons:a.E nhancement of people’s knowledge on number of students indulged in Teenage Pregnancy in Philippines. b.Increase the awareness and knowledge on the increasing number of teenage pregnancy cases. c.To be able for them to absorb and reflect the effects and problems attached in teenage pregnancy. d.To help prevent from indulging from this early pregnancy.Teenagers – they are the ones involved in this case. They could be helped through the informative content of this study. They could realize the negative effects of teenage pregnancy and how it could change their whole life. Society – it could lessen the percentage of single parenthood among the community. It could orient family members on how teenage pregnancy can affect the family most especially the teens. Sources of Contraceptive materials – they may expect an increase in demand due to the awareness of the teenagers on getting pregnant at an early age Local Government – they could be able to implemen t and facilitate projects concerning the rate of teenage pregnancy issue.They could be able to understand the deeper cause of this inflating rate of early pregnancy. Community Members – they could build a strong alliance against teenage pregnancy and they could be a more productive part of the community in terms of cooperating in the alliance Parents – they could expect a better future and a progressive and a more valuable and worthy support to their sons and daughters. Non-Government Organization – they could more stabilize their goals on this sector and comply an efficient purpose on execution of ideas from which this study focuses. They could be more sufficient in terms of project planning and data analysis of social factors of teenage pregnancy. Others – they would get a broader knowledge on how the teenage pregnancy work in the society.Scope and Delimitations of the StudyThis investigation is conducted to determine the rate of teenage students that i s engaged in teenage pregnancy. This way, we could determine the status and profile of the teenager indulged in teenage pregnancy The aspects looked into were the quantitative information of number of teen aged students indulged in teenage pregnancy and the data behind this. This  investigation focuses on number of teen age students indulged in teenage pregnancy in Philippines portrayed by teenagers as respondents during January to February 2011 Definitions of TermsTeenage pregnancy – refers to any pregnancy on women that took place between the ages 13–19 years old. Teen aged Students – refers to students that ages a number that end in â€Å"teen† as the last syllable such as13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 .Rate – refers to a quantity from a recent quantity STIS – refers to Sexually Transmitted Infections STDS – refers to Transmitted DiseasesBibliographyCHAPTER II-REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUREThe purpose of this section of the study i s to provide a review of relevant literature that focuses on questions related to teenage pregnancy. The Introduction to this study offered an overview of the extent of the problem, its effects and outcomes, and a conceptual framework in which I t was asserted that peer pressure to begin sexual activity coupled with low self-esteem may very well be instrumental in placing some young girls at risk for pregnancy during adolescence.Statistical methodsThe two outcomes were pregnancy rate, a proxy for conception rate, and pregnancy outcome. Both outcomes were measured at the level of small area and were analyzed for each of three age groups, 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19 years, based on the maternal age at conception. Pregnancy rates in 16-17 and 18-19 year olds were expressed as the ratio of observed to expected pregnancies, in order to standardize for marital status. The expected number of pregnancies was derived by applying national rates in married and unmarried teenagers to local married and unmarried populations, then adding the results to obtain a total.The expected number of pregnancies in 13-15 year olds in each area was derived from the total national rate. Pregnancy outcome was expressed as the proportion of conceptions resulting in a  maternity; outcomes classed as miscarriage and other were excluded. This proportion was calculated separately for married and unmarried teenagers in each age group. I considered marital status to be an important indicator of the cultural background of young women, although in some cases conception would have preceded marriage.CONTRIBUTING FACTORSCauses or Effect? The burdens of early childbearing on disadvantaged teens are undeniable. Trying to untangle the factors which contribute to teenage pregnancy from its effects, however, leads to a â€Å"which came first, the chicken or the egg?† dilemma. Educational failure, poverty, unemployment and low self-esteem are understood to be negative outcomes of early childbearing. These circumstances also contribute to the likelihood of teen pregnancy. For example, recent studies suggest that most adolescent mothers have already dropped out of school before they become pregnant. On the other hand, adolescents still enrolled in school when they give birth are as likely to graduate as their peers. It is not clear how well the adolescents with the most problems would have fared in the future even without early parenthood.Following are some of the contributing factors or causes of teenage pregnancy: 1) Lack of Parental Guidance: Most people evade their children from talking about sex. In some cases, they provide false information regarding sex and discourage their children to participate in any informative discussion about sex. In some cases, teenage mothers are not well educated about sex before getting pregnant and thus this leads to lack of communication between the parents and the children.2) Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Among the adolescents, peer pressure is a major factor that encourages the teenage boys and girls to indulge in sexual activities. Early dating, as early as 12 years of age, is another factor that contributes to teen pregnancy. 3) Inadequate Knowledge about Safe Sex: Most adolescents are unaware of safe sex. They probably have no access to the traditional methods of preventing pregnancy. And the main reason behind is that they are either too embarrassed or fear to seek information about it.4) Exploitation by Older Men: This is another major factor that contributes to pregnancy among the teenagers. Those girls who date older men are more likely to become pregnant before they attain womanhood. Rape, sexual exploitations etc. also  takes place that leads to unwanted pregnancy among teenage girls. 5) Socio Economic Factors: Teenage girls who belong to the poor families are more likely to become pregnant. Researchers have found that even in the developed countries teenage pregnancy occurs most commonly among the deprived se ctions.CHAPTER III-METHODOLOGYResearch DesignThe study being conducted is a descriptive research. It includes the collection of data needed to answer the question concerning the current status of the study.Research Respondents The respondents of this research study are the female teen age students that are engaged in teenage pregnancy at Philippines. This study is conducted at Philippines where the study focuses to extract the statistical data of teenage pregnancy. This study is conducted in January-February 2011.Research InstrumentsThe researchers used a self-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire is all about the background of the information about the pregnancy of the teenager. It is structured as to guide the respondent in reflecting and understanding her situation.Validation of Research InstrumentThe research instrument was submitted to our Research Professor to correct and finalize the questionnaire. Hence, there was no dry run conducted due to lack of time.Method of Scor ing and InterpretationIn analyzing the data gathered though the questionnaire, the researcher utilized the following: On the age of the teen aged female student that started to become sexually active Mean Range Interpretation 10 yrs. old and below too minor 11-15 years old early adolescent 16 – 19 years old late adolescent.CHAPTER V-SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONSThis chapter presents the summary, conclusions, recommendations based on the findings on the study.SUMMARYThis study aim to know the rate of teenage pregnancy in Philippines. Specifically, the sought answers about the profile of female high school students in terms of the age when they became sexually active, current situation in her pregnancy, how the pregnancy was done–planned or not, thought of aborting the baby, rate of substantiality of contraceptive materials, effects of teenage pregnancy in the teen’s health, knowledge about the availability of free condoms, how to support the childâ₠¬â„¢s financial needs, partner’s occupational status, management of the situation, pursuance of education, and the dignity and respect of the teen’s social community. The female high school students of ages 12-18 were involved in this study as the respondents.Questionnaires were disseminated to the female high school students in Philippines. The study used the descriptive method of research since it was the most appropriate method to use that a self-structured questionnaire was used as a valuable tool in gathering data from the respondents. The results of the survey were tabulated and their acquired data was statistically analyzed and interpreted in order for the researcher to come up with a better conclusion.CONCLUSIONSThe following conclusions were formulated based on the findings of the study and are presented. 1.The rate of teenage pregnancy in Philippines is very much alarming. It has been observed that the rate of teenage pregnancy is increasing because of curios ity and peer pressure. 2. Most female are sexually active at the age of 11-15.3. Teenagers who are engaged at teenage pregnancy mostly are drop out of school. 4. Teenagers are engaged in this activity due to lack of knowledge about the consequence they are about to face. 5. Teenagers still depend on their parents.6. They don’t know what kind of occupation they will have.RECOMMENDATIONSBased on the conclusions on the study, the following recommendations are hereby presented. 1.Every man and woman has the right to decide what he/she will take on his life. Just be sure that you can stand all the consequences in your every action. 2.Teenage pregnancy is not an easy thing. You should have the knowledge about this and be aware that it has dangerous effects on  a teenager’s life. 3.There is no hindrance in anticipating in this situation.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Biblical narratives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biblical narratives - Coursework Example Narratives genre enables a clear understanding and even communicating the bible message that correspond a form of story and personal testimony which is sometimes characterized by holy script. This is, of course, fundamental modernity that allows communication among human beings. In fact the Old Testament presents a true story of salvation and powerful recital that gives substance of liturgy, catechesis and faith. In itself, the proclamation of any Christian kerygma amounts to absolutely telling of life, death and later resurrection of Jesus Christ (Fee, 2011, p. 106). According to Free and Stuart, this appears to be narrative in nature as the gospel accounts it. With respect to this narrative approach, it helps in distinguishing between analytical and theological reflection of everything that life has. The most of analyst methods which are proposed today begin from study of the ancient model of some narratives genre, while others base themselves on present day analogy in one way or another (Fee, 2011, p. 106). This is contrary to the scriptural interpretation which is aimed at reflecting the present, past and future scenarios that believers go through. Instead of reading the entire bible narrative in order to understand the major theme, purpose, flow and plot of the narrative, majority of us just read through to catch the drama, as well as the power of the story. We simply assume that we have seldom grown up with the old testament of gospel and we are familiar with everything. What has to be remembered is that, these biblical narratives were written by authors who were inspired with the Holy Spirit and should not just be interpreted as an ordinary story in its literal meaning. Since narratives do not only teach each doctrine directly, it does not necessarily mean that one must not learn some doctrine from biblical narratives. Rather than teaching

Friday, September 27, 2019

Of the several blind spots in the early development of the human Essay

Of the several blind spots in the early development of the human rights regime, none is as striking as the failure to give viol - Essay Example The fact that the women have been presented as helpless and individuals who are dependent on others for support has not made the position of women in society better. As such, only several centuries past now have women been able to enjoy equal rights as men. In most countries, these women are now able to go to school alongside their male counterparts, to go to work, to support themselves, and to vote. For a long while however, women have been subjected to physical, emotional, sexual, and mental abuse from their male counterparts, including family members as well as strangers. In the past few decades however, more serious commitments on the protection of their civil and human rights have been observed1. These commitments come in the form of laws in the international and national level, ultimately affording equal right to these women and imposing punishment and penalties to those who abuse the rights of women. One of these laws is the CEDAW or the Convention on the Elimination of All Fo rms of Discrimination against Women. It is also known as the Treaty for the Rights of Women2. It was adopted by the UN in 1979, and ratified by different countries. This treaty is however not a sufficient policy in the complete protection of women’s civil and human rights. ... This article shall evaluate the statement above, highlighting instances of human rights violations for these women, gaps in the protection of their rights, including possible remedies which can be implemented in order to address the issue. Body The CEDAW is considered an encompassing international treaty covering the basic rights of women. It indicates a form of Bill of Rights for these women and is the only international instrument which completely covers specific provisions on women’s rights, including their political, economic, social, cultural, and civil life4. There are 185 ratifying countries for this treaty, with the US being a major hold out for its ratification5. The CEDAW indicates a very broad definition for discrimination against women, supporting the fact that international usually provides broad definitions when compared to local or national laws. Nevertheless, CEDAW defines the idea of equality for women beyond what is currently set by many national provisions. Under the CEDAW, discrimination against women also refers to any act which excludes, distinguishes, or restricts individuals based on sex with such discrimination often made in order to impair the enjoyment or exercise by women of their human and fundamental freedoms and rights6. The treaty secures women’s rights in different realms, including government and political life, employment, education, healthcare, as well as other elements of social and economic life. It also indicates special policies for women including special measures to support the causes of women and protect their maternity7. Aside from the CEDAW, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has also set forth provisions seeking to protect

Thursday, September 26, 2019

What Competitive Strategy Coca Cola Should Adopt to Develop Business Dissertation - 1

What Competitive Strategy Coca Cola Should Adopt to Develop Business Expansions in China - Dissertation Example has released new bottling operations in China with plans of expanding its business. The company has commitments towards the country for investing in further growth in â€Å"one of the world’s largest and fastest growing beverage markets† (Guinness, 2011, p.166). The beverage market in China is known to be one of the most vibrant markets in the country. Monnikhof and Kranenberg (2000) had presented facts that around 48 percent of the populations are regular consumers of beverages in China (Alon, 2003, p.151). However, the country has other popular beverage companies as well like the Wahaha Future Cola or Wahaha Extreme Cola that pose competition for the Coca-Cola Company (Zhang & Alon, 2011, p.287). Globalization and the increasing competition in the current business world reflect the growth and development of different businesses and their expansion across different countries. The beverage industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The Coca-Cola Company being one of the leading companies in the world’s beverage industry, a research on their business strategies would help in an understanding of how leading companies create and maintain their position in their own countries as well as in other countries through expansions. China’s beverage industry reflects a huge market, particularly for large companies like the Coca-Cola Company. ... e business strategy for the company that may help the company in developing its business expansion in China and maintain its position above and over its competitors 2. Rationale of the Study: Globalization and the increasing competition in the current business world reflect the growth and development of different businesses and their expansion across different countries. The beverage industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The Coca-Cola Company being one of the leading companies in the world’s beverage industry, a research on their business strategies would help in an understanding of how leading companies create and maintain their position in their own countries as well as in other countries through expansions. China’s beverage industry reflects a huge market, particularly for large companies like the Coca-Cola Company. The company has its operations in China but the growing competitions and other internal and external factors may affect the successful expansion plans of the company. The rationale of the study is in the learning and understanding of the competitive business strategies of a leading beverage company that may benefit the expansion of the company in the China market. In the modern world of increased globalization, there is a need to learn the theories and concepts followed by large companies to have a view on the strategies necessary to keep up a position of a company in the industry among its competitor companies. This study would be focused on the Coca-Cola Company that already has its operations in the China market and would look for further expansions to which the company has the requirement of innovative and competitive strategies that would keep its position above its competitors. Hence, this study is rational in the context that

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Recomendations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recomendations - Essay Example Introducing resources that aid patients in adhering to a recommended patient care treatment and healthy lifestyle will enable the company to have access to the members of the community, as these are the latest concerns by the users of Bright Road Health Care System services. Developing an interactive forum between the patients and the organization’s staff to allow for a question and answer session, discussion of different topics, ability to make appointments, and passing of recommendations tailored to the needs of the client to improve the resources and services (Yih, 2011). There is a need for the augmented use and realization of the benefits offered by the internet through search engine optimization and the use of social marketing. Collaborating with social engines to allow the easier location of Bright Road Health Care System on the internet and having a high presence on facebook, twitter, and instagram with frequent information update, informative pieces of information, answering questions in a timely manner. Other measures include developing marketing designs and attractive covers, and marketing the Bright Road Health Care System products on the social media platform. Another strategy is developing a mechanism on the Bright Road Health Care System where the patient’s access links to community resources and health personnel increasing the ability of the site to attract new clients looking for information on resources and personnel. Getting in touch with the patients through mail, text messages, and calls to check on their progress and benefit s of the system also allows clients to have a strong attachment and develop loyalty to the use of the systems

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Jehovah Witnessess feelings about receiving blood and how it should be Research Paper

Jehovah Witnessess feelings about receiving blood and how it should be handled with a minor child in a life or death situation - Research Paper Example The insistence of Jehovahs Witness parents in refusing blood transfusions for their children can be viewed in the larger context of alternative religious beliefs and their effect on medical treatment. Many people in contemporary society are guided by religious beliefs which prohibit them from accessing medical care in favor of spiritual healing (Catalano, 2010, p. 157). Whilst adults have the right to refuse medical treatment, their behavior becomes controversial when they refuse medical treatment for their ill children (Catalano, 2010, p. 157). The decision to refuse medical treatment to children may necessitate intervention by the State in cases when children suffer from serious illnesses (Catalano, 2010, p. 157). Many Constitutional issues are raised by this situation, such as religious freedom, the right to privacy, and fundamental liberty issues related to parenting (Catalano, 2010, p. 157). In such cases the Courts are forced to decide between the religious liberty of the paren ts and the States interest in protecting the lives of minors (Catalano, 2010, p. 158). This matter if particularly controversial because no matter what the outcome of, somebodys rights are infringed (Catalano, 2010, p. 158). In some cases government intervention is secured too late and the childs life is lost (Catalano, 2010, p. 158). Between 1975 and 1995, 172 children died because they were denied medical care for religious reasons (Catalano, 2010, p. 158). The State must balance the interests of religious parents and their innocent children, respecting the welfare and autonomy of both parties. A fundamental concern of the state is the protection of the welfare of children, one for which it may intervene when it is absolutely necessary (Catalano, 2010, p. 159). Despite this fundamental concern, the United States gives parents ample autonomy to raise their children in the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Module VI- Ethics of the Professional Educator Essay

Module VI- Ethics of the Professional Educator - Essay Example It is misleading, for example, the role of homework to the student, he is against it. How will the teacher know that what he has taught the students is well understood? It is only through the homework that the students and teachers will know the level of understanding and put effort into areas of weaknesses before primary exams. Kohn argues that appreciating the child’s work, for example, saying ‘good job’ is a way of evaluating bad job (Kohn, 2001). It might be accepted in some cases, but in educational purposes and as a way of motivation, it encourages the child to keep on with the good job always. In any profession, ethics is the most important thing to be maintained in order to enhance good relationship between professionals and other people that interact with organizations and societies hence good output/results in the line of profession. For educators, they are guided by different principles and standards in respect to the diverse and distinctive features. Teachers are professionally trained individuals with knowledge of ethical issues (Mostert 1998, p.18). For example, most teachers have failed to realize that failing to maintain competence is a way of reducing ethical standards among themselves. Competence is maintained by a professional interaction that helps in building of an important inter-collaborative professional relationship. It helps teachers to consult one another before the decision is made. Maintaining high expectation is essential for teachers in ethical judgment and decision-making (Mostert, 17). Teachers are also expected to support the application of posi tive behavior supports and be conventional to confined policies that relate to the use of disciplinary methods and behavior change process. In most cases, teachers thought that they are the ethical decision makers when it comes to such issues by overlooking what is expected from them; it is an ethical requirement for teachers to use the application of positive behavior

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Income statement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Income statement - Coursework Example The revenue of a business also reflects the performance of its management. Thus, revenue is quite significant in assessing the present and future value of the business as a whole. Due to such importance of revenue in the business environment, steps have been taken by all the accounting bodies to ensure that revenues are not overstated in order to depict the financial performance better than it is in reality. Thus, it is established that revenues arising from sale of goods should be recognized only when the entity has transferred the significant risks and rewards associated with the goods to the buyer. The revenue in respect of rendering of services shall be recognized only when the outcome of the transaction through which services are rendered can be measured reliably. Product Expense: The expense incurred by a company in manufacturing a product is a product expense. These include direct materials, direct labour and factory overheads. These expenses become the part of the total cost of the product being produced. Period Expense: The expense incurred by a company during a financial period is a period expense. These expenses are shown in the Income statement in the period in which these are incurred. Examples of such costs are administrative costs, distribution costs, selling costs, rent of head office etc. The matching principle states that the costs incurred for earning revenue should be reported in the same accounting period in which the revenue has been recognized. Thus, where a company is engaged in the business of production and sale of a product, its revenue will be the sale proceeds derived from sale of its produce. However, when sales are recognized in financial statements as revenue, the inventory used in the production of finished goods sold shall also be recognized as cost of sales in the same period in order to comply with matching concept. Comparing the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Evaluation of story board Unrelated incidents Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of story board Unrelated incidents Essay My video is intended to portray unrelated incidents in a way which my gcse audience would understand it is also designed to increase the dramatic impact of the poem and there for increase the pupils understanding of the poem. i started the video with the image of big Ben at six oclock, this is the image used to start the BBC news so I felt that it was an appropriate image to start this poem as it is about the news and how its read. The reason I choose a man with a posh Standard English voice to do the narration for this section is that this is stereotypically the kind of voice used to introduce the BBC news. Also the image and the voice create a image of typical English news which would increase the impact of the next section on the audience. The introduction of the Glaswegian man is the most effective and best way of presenting the poem as written to an audience through a video. The image of the man standing in a field with mountains and a lake in the background, rolling a cigarette is a dramatic contrast to the image from the first section of typical Englishness. The man is meant to represent the average everyday man from Glasgow, as the poem appears to be a look at that persons perspective on the news, and the English attitude towards him. The sky would be moving with the storm clouds gathering to show the mans anger at the way his treating gathering and increasing. This section is meant to show the mans disgust at the attitude of the scruff towards him because of his accent so he would be being sarcastic with these comments. The sky moving would again show the mans anger rising. The image in this section contrast sharply with the next image this should semi-shock the audience increasing the impact. Through out the video I am trying to create a feeling of contrast this is to show how sharply the image of the Glaswegian contrasts with the image of the man with the BBC accent. This scene is showing how the man is different and is rebelling against the constraints of society (a image which members of my teenage audience would agree with there for increasing the impact.) The people in the suits represent the BBC accent and the mans clear dislike of them and opposition to them(shown by his violent walk against the flow.) The people in the suits are also meant to be shown as the scruff which the man despises. The way the scruffs ignore the man shows how they dont think hes important enough to worry about. This leads on to the next scene. This is designed to show how the truth is ignored if its spoken by the Glaswegian despite people knowing its true, the man in the suits attitude is showing again how the Glaswegian is ignored because of the way he looks and speaks. The man in the suit shows how society doesnt care about the man because hes not part of the scruff. The man is narrating with the clip of Trevor Mcdonald talking to demonstrate one of the scruffs talking. This image also brings the subject of the video back to the news which is of course the basis of the poem. This scene is then followed by a similar scene, which shows the image of the Glaswegian as one of the scuffs talking. This section is shown in the newsroom to show how despite being different what the man says is the truth. This section of the poem is about how the man is one of the scruffs. The image of the television is used so that the violent action of the TV being smashed is shocking and contrasting. The reason I have put the man from the bench standing with the hammer and speaking with a strong accent is to put across the message that sometimes people are not what you expect them to be. Also this image is a clear ending with camera fading to black. The entire video is designed to portray the anger, bitterness and contempt the Glasswegian man has towards the scruffs. It is supposed to show this in a interesting and different way, I think that the dramatic changes in camera shot and scenery would help to keep the interest of the audience. The reason I have chose to include Rage against the machine song break stuff is because the lyrics of this song as well as being well known are also very appropriate for this poem. Lyrics like its just the rage built up in side of me, fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy would help to portray the poems message also the song would help hold the audiences attention. The reason I chose not to include it during the last section is that it would distract slightly from the narrators words also the last section is very important if students are to understand the poems message. I did not feel the need to portray every image in the poem visually as I felt many were self explanatory using just aural techniques. Also I felt that it would increase the audiences interest if they had to actually search for the meaning and reasoning behind some of my scene choices.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Quantification of Opiates in Hair Samples

Quantification of Opiates in Hair Samples The analysis of controlled drug abuse has been primarily been carried out using urine samples. This is then complemented further with use of other biological fluids such as blood, sweat and saliva. There are many advantages as to why urine is a better biological fluid to use in comparison to the other biological fluids. Some these include: Less invasive No needles required to obtain the sample. Little medical supervision required Cost of conducting the test is lower Urinalysis however also has some limitations, some which are The drug detection window (DDW), the time frame in which the drug can be detected is somewhat short. It is typically 1-3 days. The sample can be easily contaminated; therefore testing is carried out on an altered sample. The sample can be easily changed if it is diluted. [2] There are also safety issues, if improper care is taken when handling the sample then sin contact may lead to infections. Abstinence can also provide inaccurate readings. If prior knowledge of when the test is going to be carried out, the user may abstain from using the controlled substance a few day prior to the test being carried out. Consumption of excessive water the user excessive amount of water are consumed then the sample given may be diluted, therefore providing an inaccurate concentration of the drug abuse. The cut off point- Urinalysis tends not to have a low enough of a cut off point. This will mistake controlled drug abuse with other possible metabolites of food. An example of this is the consumption of poppy seeds. This can be mistaken for morphine abuse. With further developments analytical techniques such as GC/MS hair samples are now the preferred sample to for the analysis of controlled drug abuse. This is then complemented with urinalysis and blood analysis. The advantages using hair include Drugs are commonly found in hair samples. Hair tends to be more of a qualitative test rather than a quantitative. It measures the concentration and frequency of the abuse, not just its presence. [3] A longer DDW measures the abuse the abuse over months and years, as appose to days. The chart above shows the concentration of a drug present urine and hair over a period of 12 days Hair is easier to handle poses no threat of infection if skin contact is made [4]. Hair is a more stable specimen it has a stable protein structure which cannot be easily contaminated [5] Little medical supervision or surgical intervention is required when obtaining the sample and is therefore seen to be less invasive. 1 HAIR 1.1  Anatomy of Hair Hair is made up of two distinct compartments, the shaft and the follicle/root. The shaft is the visible outer part, which comes out of the skin on the scalp. This part is often referred to as the dead part of hair. The reason for this is that the compartment within the skin, the follicle has a bulb shaped ending. Within the centre of the bulb there are cells, which are constantly dividing. As new cells are produced the older one are pushed up. As they are moving up they die slowly, which then form the hard shaft. Each strand of hair is made up of protein fibres called keratins. The chemical composition of keratin includes long chains of amino acids. One key example of these amino acids is cysteine, which contains sulphur. One key ability of sulphur is its ability to form bonds with other sulphur molecules, disulpher bridges. This is type of chemistry is present in hair. Adjacent keratin proteins link together to form disulphide bonds. The molecular interactions between these bonds are quite strong, and therefore it is quite hard to break the bond between them. The disulphide bonds can be broken using an alkali solution, as acidic solutions generally have no effect. Each strand consists of three layers the cuticle, cortex and medulla. The medulla is made up of cells that are quite large and hollow. The middle layer is the cortex, which makes up the majority of hair. The cells in this layer are tightly packed due to cross links between the keratin chains. The characteristic of hair are predominantly determined by this layer. This includes the colour of hair. Other characteristic determined by the cortex are the flexibility and strength of hair and the also the texture. The cuticle is the outermost layer and is formed by a single layer of overlapping tightly packed cells, which are transparent in appearance. This layer provides protection for the cortex and the medulla. This layer also characterises the strength of hair, as its strenuousness it is able to take the effects of any impact. Within the root is the follicle, this is a multilayered bulb like structure. Where each layer has its own function. At the base of the bulb is the dermal papilla. This is fed by small blood vessels. The function of these vessels is to provide essential nutrients and oxygen to the growing hair, it also removes any waste products. This is also the site of where signals are received, instructing hair to grow. [7] This is done by the presence of hormones and adrenogens. The adrenogens determine when hair grows and also the size of the follicle. Therefore influencing the physical properties of hairs, i.e. thickness. The hair follicle is covered by two sheaths, the inner and outer. The function of these sheath is to provide protection to the hair shaft. The inner sheath coats the follicle up to the opening of the sebaceous gland. The outer sheath coats the follicle all the way up to the gland. 1.2  The Hair Cycle Each strand of hair grows in a repeated three stage cycle, starting with the Anagen phase continuing to the Catagen phase and concluding with the Telogen phase. [8] Anagen phase: Hair growth phase Occurs with 85 % of hairs at any one time Duration: 2-6 Years Activity: Stimulus received at dermal papilla → Rapid reproduction of  keratinocytes within the bulb → Upward movement of keratinocytes → Formation of hair shaft Catagen Phase: Regression phase Duration: 1-2 Weeks Activity: Mitosis cycle ends and reabsorption occurs → The old keratinocytes  cells are then preceded by the new ones → Death of the previous  keratinocytes → Hair follicle size reduced by 1/6 → Degradation of  the lower part → Hair follicle becomes detached → Keratinocytes  cells attached to the follicle and the dermal enter the next phase. Telogen Phase: Rest phase Occurs with 15% of hairs Duration: 3 Months Activity: Dermal papilla is in a resting state → Towards the end of the stage,  the hair and follicle become detached from one another → a new  connection made between the lower part of the follicle and the dermal  papilla → Once the connection has been made, the cycle will start  again → Anagen phase → Formation of a new hair, if the previous  hair is still attached to the follicle then the new one will push out the  old hair [8] 1.4  Integration of Opiates Into Hair There have been several studies carried out that look into how drugs and their metabolites are integrated into hair. These studies have proposed some simple mechanisms as to how this is done. However an in depth explanation would require further studies to be carried out. As hair has a protein structure, it is able to trap the metabolites present in the blood into hair whilst the structure is being synthesised. This is auctioned whilst the hair is attached to the follicle, i.e. whilst the hair is growing. As the hair fibre is being formed, the drug and its metabolites become integrated. This will result in the drug and its metabolites to be stabilised within the keratin structure. The basic model proposes a mechanism that a drug and it metabolites may be integrated by passive diffusion. This is where the drug is passively diffused from the dermal capillaries into the growing hair cells. The point at which this passive diffusion occurs is when the hair is follicle length is at a length of approximately 1.2 1.5 mm long. This is the length between the hair matrix area and the area of the keratinised area. This suggests that if the hair is 1.2 1.5 mm long then drug exposure of about three days is available for analysis. A more detailed model can also explain how drugs and their metabolites can be integrated into hair. This takes into account different mechanisms occurring various times of the hair growth cycle, and at a number of different locations. The research into this multi-compartment theory was initiated by Henderson [10], but has since been backed up by further studies. An example of this is, the movement of the drugs and its metabolites from sweat and Sebum. The integration of the drugs and their metabolites occurs once the hair has been formed. Studies have shown that the concentration of drugs in sweat is higher than the concentration found in blood. This would therefore explain the high concentrations if drugs found in hair. [10] Drugs can also be integrated into hair from the external environment, i.e. from air, water and hair treatments such as hair dying, and perming. As well as the external environment drugs can also be integrated with hair by intradermal transfer. This happens deep within the skin compartment, where highly lipid soluble drugs can penetrate into the skin layer and then become integrated into hair. [11] Also melanin content may have some influence on the drug being transferred. The drug may associate with melanin sites that are present in the skin. This will result in the transfer of the drug and its metabolites as well as melanin pigment molecule. The actual properties of the drug being integrated will also ultimately influence which mechanism is used for the drug to be integrated with hair. Examples of these properties include the structural, chemical, and physical properties. When looking specifically at the structural properties, there are three factors that will influence the mechanism undertaken to integrate the hair. [13] These include: The melanin content of the hair The lipophilicity of the drug The basicity of the drug The influence of melanin on the integration of the drug with has been examined in several studies. A sample of grey hair was analysed. It can be seen that the sample contains white hair and pigmented hair. It was found that even though the root had been placed under the same conditions, i.e. the same concentration of the drug and its metabolites in the blood the pigmented had ten times the concentration of the basic drug compared to the hair sample that was not pigmented. [14] This study carried out by M. Rothe et al prompted further studies to be carried out. These looked at the difference in drug concentration between black, brown, blonde and red coloured hair. The results obtained from this study also found the correlating results. The integration of uncharged organic i.e. lipophilic drugs can infiltrate the membrane with ease, as well as being able to diffuse along the concentration gradient. This however is not the case with lipophobic or charged drugs. When they try to infiltrate the membrane a drug resistant barrier is formed, therefore restricting the drug from entering the membrane. Also basic and acid drugs, are highly ionised can enter the membrane if the charge they have is neutralised. This is achieved by deprotonation or protonation. This suggests that the pkA of the drug is an important factor, when it is trying to enter the melanocyte cells so it can be integrated with hair. Studies have also found that the intracellular pH of melanocytes typically ranges from 3 to about 5. Due to this chemical property, there is an increase in the accumulation of drugs at pigmented sites. However this is not the case for all acidic drugs, so this is why they are often found in lower concentrations. [13] 2. Opiates and Opioids 2.1  Derivation and active component The opiates are derived from opium. Opium is released from immature seeds that grow within the poppy plant, also known as papaverus somniferum. The active component from which the opiates are synthesised, is known as the latex. This is a white milk like emulsion fluid that is released, when an incision made on the green wall of the poppy plant seed. The latex is removed typically between 1-3 weeks after the poppy plant has flowered. The white latex is then dried, leading to the formation of brown coloured opium. They are a group of about twenty opiate alkaloids. An opiates can however is a synthetic chemical/drug that can be synthesised using an opiate as starting material, or be fully synthesised to mimic the action of an opiate. Morphine is the most prominent opiate present within opium, making up 10%. Codeine is second, which makes up approximately 5% of opium. The other main constituents of opium include thebaine, noscapine and papaverine. Some of the twenty alkaloids can be synthesised further in laboratories They can be synthesised using an opiate as starting material, or be fully synthesised to mimic the action of an opiate. An example of this is the synthesis of heroin from morphine. There are also opioids that can be synthesised fully in a laboratory. An example of this type of opioid is methadone. 2.2  Classification The opiates can be classified into three main categories, natural opiates, semi synthetic opioids and fully synthetic opioids. 2.2.1  Natural Opiates These are chemical/drugs that are synthesised directly from the latex that is produced from the seedlings of the poppy plant. Once the latex has been dried it is now known as opium. The natural opiates are then extracted from the dried opium. The most abundant chemical/drug present in the opium is morphine, accounting for 10 % of opium. The second most abundant natural opiate is codeine, account for approximately 5 % of opium. Thebaine is the third most abundant opiate, accounting for approximately 3% of opium. Thebaine The chemical composition of morphine and codeine is quite complex. This is why it is not feasible to synthesise them in a laboratory. This therefore means that the best method of obtaining these opiates is through direct extraction from the poppy plant. 2.2.2  Semi Synthetic Opiates These types of opiates are synthesised using the natural opiates, such morphine as starting points. There are a vast amount of semi synthetic opiates. One example of a natural opiate being used to synthesise a semi synthetic opiate is the production of heroin from morphine. HEROIN The reaction of morphine with acetic anhydride results in the formation of diacytylmorphine, also known as heroin. Morphine as well as the other natural opiates are the starting material for many semi synthetic opiates. The table below shows examples of these semi synthetic opiates. Semi Synthetic Opiate Also Known As Starting Natural Opiate Chemical Structure Hydromorphone Dihydromorphinone and Dimorphone Morphine Hydrogenated ketone Hydrocodone Dihydrocodeinone Codeine and Thebaine Oxycodone Dihydrohydroxycodeinone Thebaine The structure is similar to codeine, but differs in 3 ways 1 -hydroxyl group at C-14, codeine has a H 2- has a dihydro between C 7,8, codeine has double C bond 3- carbonyl group present instead of a hydroxyl group Oxymorphone 14-Hydroxydihydromorphinone Thebaine or Morphine Esterification of the hydroxyl groups Desomorphine Dihydrodesoxymorphine Morphine Remove 6-hydroxy group Saturation of the 7,8 C double bond Heroin Diacetylmorphine Morphine- Addition of acetyl ester groups at C 3,6, therefore diacetyl ester of morphine Codethyline Ethylmorphine Codeine or Morphine the OC2H5 group substituted for an aromatic 3-OH 2.2.3  Fully Synthetic Opiates The fully synthetic opioids are completely chemically different to opiates, however the mode of action on the body. The fully synthetic opiates are able to mimic the way morphine acts on the body. The first type of fully synthetic opiates that was synthesised was called meperidine. This was then with the production of methadone. Some other examples of fully synthetic opiates are fentanyl, pethidine, tramadol and dextropropoxyphene. The advantages of synthesising these synthetic opiates are that the potency of the chemical/drug can be rapidly increased, in comparison to that of morphine. 2.2.4  Endogenous Opiates These are natural substances that are produced within the brain. The characteristics of the endogenous opiates are similar to that of the alkaloid opiates that derived from the poppy plant, commonly known as exogenous opiates. The endogenous opiates interact with opiates receptors in the same way as the exogenous opiates i.e. causing analgesia and euphoria. Examples of these endogenous opiates are Endorphins Enkephalins Dynorphins 2.3 Mode of Action of Opiates Opiates are chemicals that act on the body in two ways. The first is by reducing or stopping chemical signals, therefore having sedative effects. This will result in a reduction reaction time in which the body reacts to pain, also helps to decrease the awareness of pain and finally helps increase the tolerance of pain. The second way in which the opiates act within the body is to create a feeling of elation. The mechanisms that allow the opiates to behave this way is achieved by the interactions that occur at the opiate receptors. The opiate receptors are located mainly in the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord and also within the respiratory centre. The body also produces it own natural opiates, known as endogenous opiates. Some examples of these endogenous opiates are endorphins, enkephalins and dynorphins. They are all released naturally to interact with the opiate receptors. The endorphins are located in the hypothalamus, and are released in response to stress. The enkephalins are present within the central nervous system, and act on the pain pathways. The dynorphins are also located in central nervous system, the spinal cord. They are also associated with the pain pathways. These natural opiates interact with three main opiate receptors mu, kappa and delta, which are g-protein coupled. The opiates that are derivative of the poppy plant are called exogenous opiates. They also interact with the mu, kappa and opiate receptors. If the use of the exogenous opiate s is abused, adverse effects. As well as the opiates being able to block pain, they also make the user feel elated. This is the result of the opiates reacting with mu opiate receptors. The same receptor that the endogenous opiates, endorphin reacts with. Due to these properties it is often the case that opiates are used recreationally as appose to medically. 3. Extraction of Opiates from Hair 3.1 In order to determine the presence of in a hair sample, the drugs need to be extracted from the hair structure. The reason for this is that there have not been any developments in analytical techniques that analyse the hair and drug when they are combined in one structure. This is why extraction steps are taken to analyse the drug separately from the hair structure. The choice of solvent used for the extraction process must take into consideration the chemical structure of the drug, and what response they will have to the solvent. 3.2  Division of hair in to segments Hair must be divided into segments prior to the opiates being extracted. As hair grows at a rate 0.5 inches per month [ref -see notes], it provides a timeline of when and at what concentration the opiates we consumed. The hair sample must be all be of the same length prior to being analysed. It is quite difficult to quantify at which period of time the opiate was consumed if a clump of hair is used as appose to a single strand of hair. it is generally get harder the longer the distance from the root. This is why it is beneficial to analyse the hair sample in sections. [25-22] Studies carried out, have found the following divisions of a 45 cm length provide the optimum analysis. Staring from the root the following divisions are made: 4 x 0.5 cm 3 x 1.0 cm 2 x 2.0 cm 2 x 3.0 cm 2 x 5.0 cm 2 x 10 cm 3.3  Decontamination of hair Prior to any extraction techniques being carried out on hair, any external contaminants must be removed. Although the analytical techniques analyse the opiates that are incorporated within the hair structure, sometimes other substances may be detected if the decontamination process is not actioned correctly. The results of the analysis may account for surface contaminants that may have made contact with hair, i.e. if the user has touched a substance and subsequently touches their hair. This will result in a positive result eng obtained even though the user has not consumed the substance. Other possible sources of these contaminants may be from hair care products such as shampoos and conditioners. Also any hair styling products, such waxes and hair sprays also need to be removed. As well these sweat and any fatty sebum released from the sebaceous glands need to be removed. Also environmental contaminants such dust need to be discarded. If the sample prior to being cut was exposed to any drugs in the environment, this step will remove this source of contamination. The reason for decontaminating the hair sample is to prevent any background noise when the sample is analysed. The choice of the decontaminant has to have specific properties. This is because it has to remove any external contaminants, however not be able to remove any of the drugs and its metabolites from the hair sample. [15] Non protic solvents such as dichlormomethane and acetone are good decontaminates as they do not swell the hair, so extraction will not occur. Using a 300mg sample of hair is used. It is placed into an ultrasonic bath, There are series wash cycles performed on the hair sample, and are usually initiated with two washes with dichloromethane. A typical experiment conducted in [16], which tried to determine the opiate content in hair carried out four different wash cycle, on four different samples of hair. 20 ml of dichloromethane, 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of isopropanol, 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of dichloromethane, 15 ml of isopropanol, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of n-hexane , 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. This experiment showed that a mixture of solvents could be used to wash the hair samples. 3.4  Disintegration of opiates from hair structure As there are currently no analytical techniques that test for opiates whilst they are integrated within the hair structure. This means that the hair structure must first of all be digested and then the drugs and its metabolites are extracted, to determine which drugs are present. There are various solvents used to extract opiates and its metabolites from hair. 3.4.1  Extraction with Methanol Methanol is a good solvent used to extract opiates from hair. It is hydrophilic, so it can enter the hair structure quite easily. The action of methanol is that it causes the hair to swell up. This will result in the drugs integrated within the hair structure to be released. This is done by the opiates diffusing out. This extraction is carried out in an ultrasonic bath. This helps to degrade the hair structure. There are some impurities still present once this methanol extraction has been carried out. So a secondary clean up is still required. [17] There are some disadvantages to this extraction method. This is because the amount of drug obtained from the extraction procedure, is quantitatively less than other extraction methods used to derive opiates hair from hair. However the main disadvantage of using is that using methanol extraction, this is that the opiate extracted can sometimes be hydrolysed. An example is the conversion of 6-monoacetylmprphine (Heroin) to morphine. This results in the non detection of monoacetylmprphine (heroin). [13] Therefore when trying to detect the opiate Heroin, it can be hydrolysed to morphine. Therefore resulting in the heroin present in hair to go undetected. [21] 3.4.2  Extraction with a buffer solution This extraction procedure is widely used to extract opiates and their metabolites from hair. It generally seen to be one the more successful methods. A typical buffer solution would be a phosphate buffer, at a pH of approximately 6.4 7.6. [18] In comparison to methanol phosphate buffer are seen to be a cleaner approach of extracting opiates. In addition to use the phosphate sometimes additional enzyme are added to help to determine intricate metabolites. A typical enzymes used are combination of glucuronidase and arylsulphitase. 3.4.3  Supercritical Fluid Extraction This method uses a supercritical fluids such carbon dioxide (CO2) to extract opiates from hair. It is seen to be advantageous over other extraction methods, as supercritical fluids have specific properties that allow them to be more efficient in extracting opiates and their metabolites from hair samples. Some examples of these properties include that physically, supercritical fluids are less viscous than other solvents. This in turn allows them to move more freely. [19] They have an increased speed of extraction, in particular with opiates. Research carried out into the extraction of opiates from hair using supercritical fluids by Edder et al. It was found that use of the supercritical fluid carbon dioxide, not only speeded up the extraction process but also retrieved a high yield. It was found that 100 % of the morphine that was present in the hair sample was extracted, along with 98.2% codeine, and 92% of methadone. This was all done in a 25 minute procedure. [20] Other advantages of using supercritical fluids to extract opiates from hair samples are that it has been found that supercritical fluids tend not to contaminate the samples, in comparison to solid phase extraction and liquid liquid extraction. The efficiency of this method also allows the procedure to be more automated in comparison to other extraction techniques. 3.4.4  Enzymatic Digestion of the Hair matrix This method primarily uses the enzymes pronase and protein kinase A to break down the hair structure. The procedure requires the hair sample to be placed into the enzyme mixture at temperature between 40 -60oc for approximately 6 12 hours. [22] The action of these enzymes is to breakdown the disulphide bonds that are present within the hair structure. Often dithiothreitol is used to aid pronase and protein kinase A, by decreasing the time taken to extract the opiates and their metabolites from the hair sample. Other enzymes used to breakdown the hair structure include glucuronidase and arylsulphitase. The disadvantage of using this method in comparison to other extraction techniques is that some of the sample may be altered prior to them being for the analytical tests. An example is the antibodies that are required for radio immunoassays, may be denatured by excessive heating required by this extraction process. 3.4.5  Digestion with Sodium Hydroxide. The use of alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide in digesting hair for the extraction of opiates has proven to be very compatible. This is because unlike acid solvents the constituents of the opiates are not hydrolysed along with the hair structure. An example of study conducted by Aldo Polettini et al found that in some case hair samples of heroin users, when digested in methanol hydrolysed the heroin to morphine. Whereas the hair sample that was digested in sodium hydroxide successfully hydrolysed the hair structure but did not alter the opiate and its constituents. [ref] Typical experiments digest hair samples in a 2M concentration of sodium hydroxide, set at a temperature of about 79 °c for 60minutes. 4. Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Hair Samples 4.1  How GC/MS works Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry are two separate analytical techniques that are used together to quantitatively detect low concentrations of opiates. This analytical technique has exceptional specificity to the detecting in opiates in hair, with levels ranging from nanograms to picograms. 4.1.1  Gas Chromatography The gas chromatograph is a heated unit that has thin silica capillary columns, which have a cross linked silicone layer. The opiate sample is injected into an inlet and heated. The sample is heated until the boiling point of the last part of the opiate sample has been exceeded by approximately 20 ËÅ ¡C. This is typically between 200 260 ËÅ ¡C. This leads to the vaporisation of the opiate sample. The vaporised opiate sample will move to the beginning section of the silica capillaries. This is aided by an inert gas, typically helium. The temperature is somewhat reduced at the silica capillaries, typically 120ËÅ ¡C. This will result in the condensation of the opiate sample. The reason for this condensation step is to ensure that all of the constituents of the opiate sample commence forward from a uniform point. The opiate molecule will start to disintegrate as it moves along the capillary column. This disintegration is caused by varied physiochemical interactions that occur with the different constituents of the opiate molecule, during the stationary phase. The time taken for each constituent or metabolite to move of the opiate sample to move through the capillary tube, from the point of injection is referred to as the retention time. [28] 4.1.2  Mass Spectrometry Once the separate constituents of the opiate sample leave the capillary column, they begin to enter the mass spectrometer. The compartment between the gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer is under high vacuum, which have quadrapoles that cover the end of the silica capillary. Now that the sample is moving along from the GC they are met by a beam of electrons, resulting in the sample to become ionised. The quadrapoles split the different constituents of the opiate samples, in relation to their electrical charge and their molecular weight. An electrical pulse is generated as the ion detector acts on the charged opiate constituents. This is all recorded on to library computer, which generates a spectrum of the opiate constituents behaviour within the mass spectrometer. [29] A Typical GC/MS A capillary tube COMPUTER 4.2  A typical GC/MS procedure on hair samples of opiate abusers. 4.2.1  Typical GC Conditions The type of capillary column used to quantification of the opiates is a HP 5MS, 5% phenyl methyl siloxane, with dimensions of 30m x 0.25m x 0.25 µm film thickness. The temperature of the inlet is set to 230 °c. The inert gas used was 99.999% helium, which flows at a rate of 1ml/min. The temperature of the oven is held at 150 °c for 1 minute. The GC is then programmed to increase the temperature in the following increments. [30] 4.2.2  Mass spectrometry Conditions The mass detector was set up to operate at voltage of 70eV. The temperature at the quadrupol

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

Trust is defined in the dictionary as believing in someone. Trust is what everybody in the world desire, or should desire from one another. It is the key part of establishing a good friendship. Trust is what keeps a relationship with family good, and works as a magnet to keep the bond alive. Without trust, there is not friendship, and without friendship, there is no love. Trust is very hard to gain, but very easy to lose. To gain someone’s trust, it might be a very difficult and painful road especially if you love that person. To be told you are trusted is a great feeling, but you should never take advantage of that trust. The second you take advantage of someone’s trust, that relationship will weaken and demolish as a result of distrust. According to my second story, the girl knew that her boyfriend cheated on her and decided to leave the relationship. All the trust that she had in him was destroyed as a result of a reckless action. This story is a good example of the consequences of distrust, and how it affects a relationship. On the other hand, having somebody to trust is a wonderful feeling. It provides us support by enabling us to share secrets, stories, and other events. The feeling of being trusted might possibly be one of the best feelings a person can encounter during his lifespan, it makes us happy and strong. Trust gives us the power to help somebody by having a small talk with them about something they need help with or need advice on. In my fifth story, Stacey failed her math test and she is scared to tell her parents due to the consequences she might encounters. She couldn’t find a good solution to the problem. Her friend Ann passed by her, and started a conversation with Stacey to find out the problem. After Stac... ...shelf and immediately came up to me to ask me why the shelf is empty. I couldn’t blame it on someone else because it is my responsibility. I was given a warning but I learned no to trust anyone. It was a bad experience for me because every person likes to fulfill their job requirements in order to prove something to their bosses, but this time, I fell short because I trusted someone who cannot be trusted. Expectation has a lot to do with trust. I expected my co-worker to do what I told him and by doing this, I trusted him. These two seem to tie into each other. Part of trust is having the expectation that someone will do right and be towards you. It is why you feel safe around them. Trusting that person makes you feel more comfortable in that environment, but for me, I learned to not trust or expect anyone to help me at work because they want to be better than me.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Bubble Economy of Japan :: Japanese Economy Economics Finances Essays

The Bubble Economy of Japan The Economy of Japan had experience a tremendous growth since the end of the Korean war. The growth of GNP in 1967 and 1968 was above 10 % (double digit growth period) which exceed countries such as Britain, France and Germany. The economy experienced a boost is due to many reasons, such as: enlargement of industrial facilities, massive adaptation of western technology and education, lower the military expense to 1% of GNP, relation with power nation, human resources and their spirit to achieve "zero defect program". But after the first and second oil crisis that occur from 1973 onward. The economy move downwards partially due to the poor management of economic policy. Although the government had attempt to adjust the economic policy but the recovery was slow. As the soaring of yen continues the demand for export has increase tremendously. With the concern of the United State of this problem, president Reagan and the G5 have signed an agreement with Japan called "Plaza Agreement" , the agreement stated that the exchange rate of Japan and Deutschmark can appreciate against the U.S. . Since then the yen value began to appreciate, Japan was going through a period of trade balance adjustment. While Japan is prepare to go through a period of trade balance adjustment, it will also suffer a period of recession, so the government strongly encourage business activities to strengthen the economy in order to prevent backwash effect. It was this event which boost up the GNP and raise the exchange rate. With this exchange rate advantage it stimulate business activity on housing and stock investment which created a bubble economy. During this period almost the entire country was involve in land speculation or other speculate activities. In this essay it will prove that land speculative activities had create many negative impacts to the Japanese society and economy. Firstly, it will describe the cause of land speculation. Secondly it will discuss on the society and political effects in Japan and lastly it will focus on the economy effects, more over it will include the aftermath when the bubble collapse. The root of this bubble economy is due the wave of land speculation. The wide spread of land speculation activities were mainly because it is profitable. The speculative transactions in assets grew and grew and many believe that this will last for very long period of time. One of the reason that leads to massive investment in the risky activities is because of the success of the Japanese in the international market during 70*s - 80*s. Many Japanese enterprises and

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Trifles Essay examples -- essays papers

Trifles Trifles, written in the early 1900’s by Susan Glaspell, is a one-act play illustrating how women can overreact to their own emotions, allowing these emotions to cloud their judgment. This is shown by describing the feelings of two women who are willing to defend a suspect, blame the victim, and go so far as to hide evidence, to protect another woman from being charged with murdering her husband. Mrs. Wright is the suspect in the murder of her husband, who was strangled in his sleep, found with the rope still around his neck. The sheriff and an attorney are examining Mrs. Wrights home for evidence. Mr. Henderson, the attorney, speaking of Mrs. Wright says, â€Å"Here’s a nice mess, ..Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?† (Kirszner & Mandell 1166) Mrs. Hale, the suspects neighbor, defends Mrs. Wright immediately saying, â€Å"There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm. Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s h ands aren’t always as clean as they might be.† (1166) She says this even though she hardly knows Mrs. Wright. She admits this when she says, â€Å"I’ve not seen much of her of late years. I’ve not been in this house – it’s more than a year.† (1166) Even so, Mrs. Hale feels protective toward Mrs. Wright and defends her. Mr. Peters, the sheriff, and Mr. Henderson, go upstairs to look for a motive. Mrs. Hale is left talking to Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife, and they begin to put themselves in the shoes of the suspect. Th...

Treachery and Betrayal in Othello

Treachery and betrayal, they belong hand in hand, like a married couple, for they both ultimately lead to misery and sorrow. In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, acts of treachery and betrayal have great dramatic significance. They greatly contribute to the theme that appearance does not always portray reality, and reality is not what one sees but more often what one does not see. The acts of treachery and betrayal in Othello help to develop this theme through character development. Such acts include: how Iago deceives Othello by being his friend and enemy at the same time. Othello betraying his wife’s love and trust. Emilia (Iago’s wife) betraying her very own husband for justice. Finally Iago’s betrayal of Roderigo, using him and his money for his evil plans, and then killing him. Through ought all of these acts of treachery and violence and betrayal a common theme seems to be developed, mostly through the development of characters. Iago’s character is a prime example of how acts of treachery and betrayal can alter people. Iago starts of by wanting to ruin Othello’s reputation as a great and wise general, as Iago says in (I, i,44) â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him†. Iago tells this to Roderigo, showing that he intends to betray Othello, by pretending to be his friend and then corrupting and betraying him. As the play progresses, Iago’s intentions are less driven by reason, and more driven by revenge, and blind lustful impulses, â€Å"[Othello] shall fall between us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IV,iii,246). Iago says this to Roderigo, when he says it is evident that at this point Iago’s character has undergone deep change. For not only does he want to ruin Othello’s reputation, but now he wants to obliterate, destroy, and crush Othello’s reputation, but he also wants to obliterate, destroy, and crush Othello’s entire life. This change in character is mainly due to the fact that the treacherous and betrayal acts that Iago has committed have altered his ways of thinking and have poisoned his very mind. The more of these acts that he commits, the more his character changes. The more his character changes the more deceitful and concealed Iago’s actions become. The appearance of his actions are not what they seem. His actions are twofaced, deceptive and cunning. This set of changes in his character and behaviour contribute to a common theme, the theme that appearance does not always portray reality. This theme is helped to be developed by Iago’s change in character, the more acts of treachery he commits, the more deceitful he is, it is a as if he grows a second face, giving him two faces. One face for deception where he pretends to be loyal and a good friend, and another where his true evil intentions are shown. All this just to get revenge on one man, Othello. By the time Othello realizes what is going on, it is too late and his appearance of things shatter revealing the reality of the situation. Othello has already fallen into the trap, unjustly killing his wife, thanks to Iago’s twofaced deception. Upon coming to this realization Othello finally knows that appearances do not always portray reality, all thanks to Iago’s cunning character. Othello loves his wife Desdemona very much at the start of the play he would do anything for her, believe her every word. However this eventually changes because Othello’s character changes. His character changes because of his acts of betrayal towards his wife. When Othello becomes suspicious that his wife is having an affair with Cassio, he does not ask his wife about it, but instead he goes behind her back and betrays her trust by asking Iago for proof â€Å"†¦Iago I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt prove† (III, iii, 203-204). By asking Iago for proof, and not his wife Othello is betraying his wife’s trust and love. Through each act of betrayal Othello’s character changes, he sees less reality and more fake appearances. He thinks less logically and more impulsively, with jealousy. His change in character causes him to lose sight of reality and this causes him to go into further betrayal, by ultimately killing his wife, and completely betraying her trust and love and kindness. The more that Othello’s character changes the less reality he sees, and the more fiction he sees, which makes him betray someone he loves, because appearances are not always true. Othello and Desdemona are not the only couple that suffer acts of betrayal from within their very own relationship. Emilia and Iago are another couple that, whose characters’ change causing them to lose touch with reality. Emilia is always suspicious of Iago but she still trusts him, for example when she gives Desdemona’s handkerchief to Iago reluctantly â€Å"If [the handkerchief]be not for some purpose of import,/Give't me again: poor lady, she'll run mad/ When she shall lack it† (III,iii,156-159). Emilia does not want to give the handkerchief to Iago because she thinks he might to something to hurt Desdemona and Othello with it. Therefore she asks him indirectly to give it back to Desdemona. In doing so Emilia is betraying her husbands trust by doubting his intentions. This small event is enough to change her view of her husband, and plant doubt in her mind as to the reality of his actions versus their appearance. Ultimately this small action has great consequences to her life. Near the end of the play, once Othello kills his wife, Emilia finds out and she confronts Othello, and she reveals that it was her husband that betrayed him. In doing so, she has betrayed all trust that she and her husband had. Making Othello see the reality of the situation, and shoving aside the illusion that Iago had woven around him. Iago in turn kills her, rewarding her for her betrayal, as he has done before to others. Iago has betrayed many people among them a very good friend of his, Roderigo. Roderigo is a naive man who is in love with Desdemona, and he is paying Iago to set them up. Through ought the play he keeps paying Iago and he believes that Iago is doing this to help him. However all is not as it appears, for in truth Iago is using Roderigo’s money and using Roderigo to do his bidding all the while pretending to be his friend and helping him to get to Desdemona. I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,/And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,/Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,/ Every way makes my gain† (IV, ii, 256-236). When Iago says this it shows how much he did not care for his friend, he was only using him for his own gain and vengeful purposes. Consequently Iago ends up killing Roderigo so that he may look like an innocent savior and a noble man. For Roderig o was instructed by Iago to kill Cassio. Through this act Iago has put on an act a mask, for he has disguised the reality of his actions through the betrayal of one of his close friends. In doing so Iago’s character has become cold and cunning, able to make reality his puppet by putting on illusions for others to see and not reality. All of the above examples: from Iago betraying Othello by being his friend and enemy at the same time, Othello’s betrayal of his wife’s trust and love, Emilia betraying her husband and making his evil deeds known to others and Iago’s use and murder of one of his close friends. All of these acts of treachery caused the characters’ of the people committing them, to change for the worst. As the characters changed they saw less of reality and more fake appearances of things and events. This flaw in how characters see things leads to a common theme being developed that theme is: appearance does not always portray reality, and reality is not what one sees but more often what one does not see. Having eyes does not mean a person is able to see the truth, but merely means that they can observe all the illusions created by others, for to truly see the truth, one must look with their minds eye.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Quiet American

The Quiet American In The Quiet American Grahm Green writes of a complex love triangle taking place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He chooses Thomas Fowler as the protagonist to tell the story from a biased point of view. From the beginning, Fowler proclaims that he is objective. As the story progresses he is eventually gives into the desire to take action and get involved. It is not until after this climax that Fowler finally realizes and admits to himself that he cannot simply remain aloof his entire life.Green’s use of Fowler as an unstable narrator effectively depicts the complexity of human motive and how difficult it is to be honest, even to oneself. Fowler is a British journalist who has been working in Vietnam for several years. Living in an extremely controversial era in the middle of all the action, Fowler insists on remaining â€Å"not involved† (20). Fowler is a â€Å"reporter,† as opposed to a â€Å"correspondent,† for he reports what he s ees and â€Å"[takes] no action† (20). He often likes to sit across the street form the milk-bar and just observe.Watching people of all shapes and colors go about their normal lives, Fowler does nothing himself, but simply watches. He even uses opium to achieve a state of complete impassiveness about the world and everything around him. Just a single pipe could make Fowler grow indifferent to the â€Å"presence or absence† of his lover (6); several more and he cannot decide whether his own death would be good or bad. Opium allows him to convince even himself that he really is indifferent to all that which goes on around him.He prides himself on remaining detached and not taking sides, saying it is â€Å"an article of [his] creed† (20). Based on his determination to be merely an observer, Fowler should make a fine narrator. Impartial and neutral, he would tell the story as is without even an opinions to cloud his mind, for â€Å"even an opinion is a kind of act ion† (20). Despite Fowler’s efforts, it soon becomes impossible for him to remain stagnant. When the opportunity is offered to him, he resolves to participate in a plot to murder Alden Pyle. He justifies his decision with the fact that Pyle has caused much trouble and disaster.He is so naive that he does not realize the extent of what he has done, and even with the death of so many people on his hands, â€Å"he’ll always be innocent, [and] you can’t blame the innocent†(155). Fowler convinces himself that Pyle as a threat to society and â€Å"all you can do is†¦ eliminate him. Innocence is a kind of insanity†(155). However, his reasoning is questionable, for there are personal motives involved as well. Fowler does not want Phuong to leave him and marry Pyle. His wife had already made it clear that she will not give him a divorce.Though he cannot marry her himself, he is selfish and wishes everything to stay the way it is. When Phuong and her sister find out that Fowler’s wife remains insistent on her refusal of his request for a divorce, things start to turn against him. Phuong moves out and plans to marry Pyle. Fowler, devastated, has increased reason to want Pyle dead. In fact, the two men talk of how Phuong is â€Å"the most important thing there is† right before Fowler makes up his mind to open the book at the window and call the whole plan to action (169).It is clear that Fowler does not make his decision based solely on political grounds. Slowly, as the story goes on, Fowler starts to realize that it is impossible to stay indifferent of everything around him. â€Å"Sooner or later, one has to take sides if one is to remain human† (166). After he decides to engage in the ploy to kill Pyle, he recognizes that â€Å"[he] had become as engaged as Pyle† (175). Fowler has assumed his role in the game. He can no longer hide behind his insistence that he is neutral and â€Å"no decision wo uld ever be simple again. Stubborn as he was before about not taking sides, Fowler realizes that he â€Å"had judged like a journalist†¦ and betrayed [his] own principles† (175); he is honest to himself when he finally crosses the line into partiality. After Pyle’s death Fowler tells Phuong that he is sorry. She does not catch the significance of his apology, but he says that though â€Å"everything had gone right for [him] since [Alden] had died†¦ [he] wished there existed someone to whom [he] could say that [he] was sorry†(180). Fowler sees clearly the magnitude of what he has done.He takes responsibility for his actions and feels remorse. The instability of Fowler’s narration depicts the extraordinary intricacy of individual drive. It is never clear the reasons that Fowler makes many of his decisions, often not even to himself. Does he kill Pyle out of political concern, or compassion for the Vietnamese people? Does he do it out of love for P huong, or is it simply lust? These questions, to some degree a mystery even to Fowler himself, are emphasized by his unreliable narration.Unclear intentions are not limited to just the narrator. When Pyle saves Fowler’s life, his motives are ambiguous as well. One may assume that based on Pyle’s simple personality, his purposes are most likely be pure and genuine. He probably saved Fowler because it was in his power and it was the right thing to do. But Fowler suspects Pyle to be more calculating, that he planned to emerge a hero from the ordeal and win Phuong over in that way. Human motives are quite often multi-layered and difficult to understand.Graham makes the peculiar choice of telling a story from the prejudiced point of view of someone whose personal life is tangled in the mess of the story. Fowler starts out determined to stay impartial as a reporter and a person in general. However, as events occur and his happiness is put on the line, he gets drawn in and ta kes action. Though he makes his decision to get involved, Fowler is unsure and doubtful the whole time and feels a great deal of remorse when it is all over. It is then that he must admit to himself, and the readers see, that he is not impartial after all, and it is, in fact, human nature to take a side.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

People Naturally Walk in Circles Essay

The article  ¨People naturally walk in circles ¨ by Emily Sohn, represents an important research when trying to completely understand human behavior and specifically, to have an idea of how our brain manages decision making, order of actions, communication and reasoning. Humans, apparently start walking in circles when we cannot see an external focal point, the moon and the sun represent some examples. In fact, when I first read the article, I was hoping to find a concrete explanation for this problem. However, soon after I knew that so many factors came into play when trying to follow a straight path. When trying to associate these investigations with other aspects of our behavior, I found out that we always find ourselves in need of a sort of a guide in order to fallow a straight line, or in other words, to do what we think is right for our own benefit. Every time we are about to make a decision, we try to find a guide, sometimes this involves getting help from others. Usually, people who get help will most likely make a better decision rather the ones who worked alone without a guide. Personally, I really think this is a big concern, given that there are no answers for such theory. Although I expected to hear from a solution, I found the article very interesting in the end, this represents another big reason why our brain and our anatomy in general is so complicated, therefore studies like this one help us understand ourselves a little bit more, which leads to keep on investigating and learning from it.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace

Identify causes of conflict at workâ€Å"Interpersonal conflict occurs between two or more persons when attitudes, motives, values, expectations or activities are incompatible and if those people perceive themselves to be in disagreement.† – Hunt 1982It is safe to assume that in every workplace you are always going to get some kind of conflict from within. Conflict in the workplace can be caused by issues from groups, individuals or the organisation itself. It’s in everyone’s best interests to stop conflict as early as possible before a situation escalates.Some potential causes of conflict are: 1. Power and Ego 2. Clashes of personality 3. When people have contrasting values and beliefs 4. Miscommunication 5. Underlying stress and tension 6. Unresolved disagreements 7. A breach of faith or trust between individualsLet’s look at a couple of the above examples. Power and ego can cause major conflicts in the workplace due to people having different lea dership styles e.g. authoritarian or democratic. Not all employees respond well to an authoritarian approach where they are told what to do as opposed to being able to have an input into how their jobs are done. This can cause them to feel demoralised and not appreciated meaning they no longer enjoy their jobs and the organisation do not get the best work out of them. Recent conflict at my workplace occurred when the door handle of one of our fork trucks kept getting broken and needed to be replaced hence causing unnecessary expense to the organisation. It was decided by myself that in order to stop this happening the door would be removed for a short period of time.This caused conflict because some members of the team felt that they were being punished for other peoples  actions and couldn’t understand why it was not discussed with themselves first. Contrasting values and belief can also cause conflict in our place of work when members of management at TATA let us know the ir expectations in our morning meetings. Conflict can occur when they set us daily tonnage targets which in our opinion are sometimes impossible to meet. Sometimes these targets are unrealistic due to machinery needing maintenance or there not being enough manpower to be able to get the coils despatched to clients. Management are sometimes not willing to listen to these problems because they believe they should be sorted quickly so the targets can be reached. This cannot always happen leading to conflict between them and Pd Ports.A breach of faith or trust between individuals also occurred recently when a member of the team was asked to do some overtime so tonnage targets could be met. When speaking to the individual I learnt that they still hadn’t received payment for the last lot of overtime they completed and so they were no longer willing to do any overtime because trust had broken down and they believed theyd be working the extra hours without getting paid. We will be lo oking at these examples in more detail later on.Describe the stages in the development of conflictOnce conflict has started it can sometimes go through several stages before it is resolved. Below is a diagram showing the different stages conflict can go through, although they do not always occur in a set order. Sometimes conflict cannot be resolved and only lies dormant until the problem occurs again.Latent Conflict This happens when individuals, groups or organizations have differences that bother one or the other. However these differences are not enough for either party to act to try and change the situation. For example when working in close proximity with someone certain behaviours can annoy another person with a different kind of personality to them. It is sometimes better to keep quiet and try and ignore this rather than get into confrontation. The seeds of this conflict might then exist for long periods of time before another party becomes aware of it.Conflict Emergence If t he differences between the individuals, groups or organisations are strong enough then a â€Å"triggering event† can cause the emergence stage of conflict. The differences are enough to be acted upon but may erupt in low level conflict. If the low level conflict is seen as some form of threat then this can cause dormant issues to be aroused resulting in the next level of conflict occurring.Escalation This stage happens when the intensity of a conflict is increased and tactics used in pursuing the conflict can become more severe. Going back to the example used in latent conflict of working in close proximity with someone, if personalities continue to clash then the conflict can escalate by parties bringing in other individuals to back up there ideas and arguments. This can lead to individuals feeling ganged up on and the conflict continues to escalate.Stalemate A stalemate is a situation in which neither side can win, but neither side wants to back down or accept loss. This ca n happen due to a number of reasons for example when group members no longer show solidarity and support for the particular conflict or costs of the conflict become too great for the conflict to continue. This then means all parties involved in the conflict then accept the differences cannot really be resolved although no one is really happy with the situation.De-escalation / Negotiation As conflicts cannot continue to escalate eventually they have to reverse direction meaning the differences have been resolved or in the result of stalemate differences end up being forgotten or lying dormant. De-escalation also occurs when compromises are made resulting in all parties feeling happier.Dispute Settlement This stage is when a conflict has come to an end. When underlying causes of disputes are settled the conflict may be resolved forever but in some cases are only resolved for a certain period of time. This may be because a difference of opinion may remain and is resolved for the time b eing but will develop again if the difference again becomes significant.Post-Conflict Peace Building This is the process when individuals, groups or the organization tries to prevent the recurrence of the conflict by addressing the root causes and the effects of conflict through reconciliation. Some organizations hold team building events. This works well with people working in close proximity with each other helping them to realise that while there may be a clash of personality they can in fact work well together as a team sometimes managing to stop latent conflict occurring.Explain the effects of conflict on individual and team performance at workIf conflict has arisen in the workplace then this could affect an individual or team in a number of ways. Effects of conflict in my workplace might be: Individuals 1. Low motivation. 2. Increased absenteeism 3. Stress frustration and anxietyIf conflict has occurred in the workplace with an individual and has reached stalemate or not been resolved satisfactorily then this can again cause latent conflict. Meaning the individual no longer feels strong enough to air his differences but instead harbours these ill feelings towards their job causing them to no longer work to the best of their ability. They are no longer motivated to perform well and so there standard of work slips resulting in other problems. Management then need to address the issue with the individual as business needs still need to be met sometimes resulting in them feeling unhappy, stressed and frustrated.This can also lead to increased absenteeism as they may no longer want to attend work due to them not enjoying it and not feeling that they are listened to. Deadlines are then harder to meet as the job is no longer being done efficiently or in the  case of absenteeism extra manpower is needed to cover an individual’s job. Quality of work is then effected. If we look at the example given earlier of conflict occurring over overtime we can see h ow this affected the individual. When he agreed with management to do overtime he quite rightly believed he would be paid for this however when payday came he realised he hadn’t been paid for it.This then led to him being extremely annoyed and unhappy. After discussing the issue with a member of management and being promised it would be sorted out it soon became apparent that it had not been. This then resulted in him lacking motivation in his job. He no longer went the extra mile as he had done previously and was no longer happy when at work. This shows that even low level conflict can have a huge effect on performance of an individual at work.Groups1. Loss of productivity 2. Delay in decision making 3. Missed deadlines 4. Strained relationshipsConflict within a group or groups effects performance at work on a larger scale. There are more people involved and productivity can be greatly affected. This can often start as latent conflict but can quickly escalate when individual s start discussing with others things that they aren’t happy about causing a domino effect. Others then become involved in the conflict which can cause problems for other individuals or the organisation. A good example of this is the scenario at my place of work is with regards to the fork truck doors.Fork truck door handles kept getting broken which was causing an unnecessary and expensive cost to Pd Logistics. The decision to take one of the doors off to stop the door handles getting broken was very unpopular with the fork truck drivers. Those that hadn’t broken a handle felt that they were then being penalised for other peoples accidents thus resulting in them being unhappy and frustrated. The drivers were then wanting to air their views with management meaning there was a loss in productivity as there was no one around to move coils etc.Luckily this issue was resolved quite quickly but had it not have been and decision making had been delayed then our daily deadlin es may not have been met as a result of the delay in lorries being loaded and the relationship between  employees and management would have been strained due to the drivers feeling they were being treated unfairly. As a leader it is important that destructive conflict is quickly identified in order to avoid the above effects and stop conflict escalating.Explain any recognised technique a manager could use to minimise and resolve conflict in the workplaceThere are a number of techniques that could be used to minimise and resolve conflict in the work place. One such technique is the method of Positioning Exercises. These exercises are designed to help people â€Å"step into each other’s shoes†. This involves imagining the interaction from two or three different perspectives. The perspectives are: 1. The first person is your own point of view2. The second person is the point of view of the other person 3. The third person is the point of view of an observerThis method c an either help stop conflict from occurring or can help stop conflict from escalating. I used this method myself when dealing with the incident over the fork truck doors. Heated debates between everyone were not helping the conflict to de-escalate so it was decided that this may help calm things down. Two of the main fork truck operatives were called for a meeting to try and resolve the issue. They were asked to think about their own views on the problem and then I told them my reasons for taking the door off. These were that every time a door handle got broken it was costing the company  £144 just to fix them. At a time where we are told that the company really needs to start saving money and cut down on unnecessary spending this was just unfeasible.Especially as the numerous breakages were due to carelessness. Every time a handle needed repairing I was expected to justify spending this amount of money to fix them. This was becoming more difficult due to the amount of breakages i n a short space of time. My solution to stop this unnecessary spending was to take the door off so that handles could no longer be broken. My opinion was that if they couldn’t respect the machine and take good care of them after numerous warnings then the only action that could be taken was to remove the door hopefully teaching them a lesson. The  two fork truck operatives and I were then asked to think about the situation as a whole from an observers point of view. If we weren’t directly involved in the situation what conclusions would we come to with regards to ideas and opinions.This helped the drivers to understand that whilst everyone was being penalised for the damage it was the only way they would stop and think and start taking care of the vehicles since warnings had been ignored and this in turn would reduce maintenance costs. It also helped me to understand that when operating the fork trucks for a long period of time they were subjected to colder working c onditions because of the lack of door which wasn’t fair on operatives who did take care of the machinery. This technique enabled us to understand each other’s point of view and manage to reach a compromise.The compromise was that they would go back to the other operatives and relay the information with relation to maintenance costs etc. and if after a month they could show me that nothing on the fork trucks had been broken then the doors would be put back on. This meant that the conflict was de-escalated. All parties felt they had been listened to and all points of view taken into account and a compromise was reached and discussed amicably.Describe how a manager could promote a positive atmosphere in order to minimise the adverse effects of conflictManagers could promote a positive atmosphere at work by creating harmony within the work place. There are several actions that can be undertaken by a manager to create harmony a few of which we shall look at below:Expect The Best From Your Staff In psychology the Self-Fulfilling prophecy states that people will generally perform in the way others expect them to perform. If a team is managed badly and constantly told they are not performing well within their job role and they are not capable of doing something then it is believed that this is how they will continue to perform. So turning this around if a manager has high expectations of their staff, and they treat them as though they are very much capable and competent people and they are expected to perform this way, then it is thought that they will rise to the occasion and be the excellent  employees required.Build Trust Trust is an important factor in all manner of relationships. Creating a working environment built around trust between all levels of the workforce is one of the most important things a manager can do when building a positive, harmonious work environment. Staff need to know a manager is reliable, responsible and accountable and that they can be relied upon for consistency. Trust is about doing what you say you are going to do and being who you say you are. A positive workforce needs to be led by example. If they trust their manager they will feel much happier and more secure in their jobs thus resulting in them being more motivated at work.Create Team Spirit One of our basic human needs is to feel we belong to something bigger than ourselves, and for many people that need is met by being part of a supportive work group. If a manager creates team spirit this enables the work force to feel united and that they are not on their own. They feel valued and that they belong. They want to come to work and they want to work to the best of their ability for themselves and to help their team mates. This will result in minimal absenteeism and increased motivation when at work.Be Approachable A manager must always be approachable to their staff. This can be portrayed to the workforce by the manager communicating with them that they are always available and happy to speak to anyone about any issues that may occur no matter what position they hold. This again makes the team members feel valued and that their opinions and differences are listened to. Management need to make the team feel that if differences do occur they can be approached and will endeavour to sort the situation out. If a manager is not approachable then ill feeling can build up and latent conflict can quickly be triggered and escalated which can create lack of motivation at work.Give Recognition and Appreciation Most workers respond extremely well to reward and recognition schemes. If a manager notices an employee doing a job exceptionally well or going the extra mile then they should be recognised aloud for it. This can happen by either giving the employee some form of reward i.e employee of the month status or merely just acknowledging it out loud so others can here. This is a great tool for boosting team morale and making team membe rs feel special and vital in their roles. It can also encourage others to strive to do better and improve in their job roles.Give Credit and Take responsibility Success within the business should always be credited to the team. This makes them feel invaluable and appreciated and makes them want to perform even better. Managers should remember that success of the business cannot happen without the work force performing well. It’s a managers job to make sure the team are always well trained and are equipped with the correct tools to be able to complete the job correctly and efficiently. If thing don’t go well it’s just as important for management to take responsibility for this as it is to give credit for success. If for some reason the team fail to perform their job in the expected manner it’s the managers responsibility to ensure they receive further training or direction to enable them to complete their job as expected. These are just a few of the exampl es in which a manager can promote a positive atmosphere in order to minimise the adverse effects of conflict.In conclusion conflict within the workplace can occur because of many different reasons. A good manager can recognise conflict in its early stages and deal with it using many different techniques in order to stop the conflict escalating. This in turn creates a better working environment for the team in which they feel happy in their work and believe they are a valued member of the team resulting in an increased standard of productivity.